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'The most entertaining yet substantial
historical novel since Joseph O'Connor's Star of the
Sea' Irish Times
The
Herbalist is the electrifying first novel
from Niamh Boyce, winner of the 2012 Hennesssy XO Award
for New Irish Writing. it is a devastating and emotional
story of yearning and obsession in 1930s rural
Ireland.
Out of
nowhere the herbalist appears and sets up his stall in
the market square. Teenager Emily is spellbound by the
exotic stranger -- here is a man of the world who won't
care that she's not respectable.
However, Emily has
competition for the herbalist's attentions. It seems the
women of her small town are all mesmerized by the
visitor who, they say, can perform miracles.
When
Emily discovers the miracle-worker's dark side, her
world turns upside down. She may be naïve, but she has a
fierce sense of right and wrong. With his fate lying in
her hands, Emily must make the biggest decision of her
young life. To make the herbalist pay for his sins
against the women of the town? Or let him escape to cast
his spell on another place?
'An elegant morality tale
about the inescapable strictures of women's lives ...
Her publisher describes her as "a dazzling new voice". I
cannot disagree' Sunday
Times
'A vividly imagined tale
of love, lust and longing ... a compelling read with a
cathartic ending that deserves a wide readership. It
remains authentic and moving to the end' Sunday
Business Post
'Boyce's subject matter
may be dark, and she treats it with the seriousness it
deserves, but she writes with a lightness of touch not
often seen in the genre ... just as the readers of
The Herbalist share the women's fear as we read,
we share their wonder and excitement as well ... hugely
impressive and wonderfully assured' Irish
Times
'There's a lot going on that is
slowly revealed and the writing is beautiful ... A
serious new literary talent' TV3
'I
read The Herbalist with great pleasure. The
characters jump alive from the page and I had to read
fast to find out what happened, totally gripped.'
Patricia Ferguson, author of The Midwife's
Daughter
'Comparisons to Edna O'Brien and Pat
McCabe are more than justified. That said, Boyce has a
unique voice and sensibility, one that's entirely her
own.' Image
'Fascinating and
revealing ... I suffered, raged and celebrated with the
exceptionally well developed characters and cancelled
all engagements in order to finish the book'
Goodreads.com
'A riveting story that electrifies and
dazzles' Writing.ie
Niamh Boyce's
background is in visual arts and she now works as a
librarian. She started writing just four years ago. She
lives in the Irish midlands with her family.
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